Sudhaar Society

Sudhaar was founded in 1994 in Lahore by a group of eight social and human rights activists, and registered in 1995 under the Societies Registration Act 1860. Sudhaar initially focused on child protection and the improvement of quality education in formal and non-formal sectors. It established non-formal education centers (NFE) followed by mainstreaming to formal schools. Sudhaar developed educational models that included working with the rural and urban schools in government and municipal sectors, private schools and non-formal education system. In its work with government and municipal schools, Sudhaar revived the School Councils and activated them to help prepare, implement and monitor School Development Plans.

In 2002, Sudhaar provided technical support to the Kasur District Government in developing the Kasur District Education Plan, the first of its kind in Pakistan. Since then Sudhaar has developed 27 District Education Plans in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Sudhaar started its activities from Kasur working with child labor in leather tanneries, carpet weaving, power looms and street workers. By the year 2003, the work had been expanded to Sialkot, Gujranwala, Toba Tek Singh, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib. The new child labor sectors covered included surgical instruments, football stitching, and domestic and factory workers. Starting from NFE, mainstreaming, quality of education in formal schools, school councils activation, and education planning from school to markaz to district level; Sudhaar added literacy and linkages with vocational training in its scope of interventions. Sudhaar also worked briefly in the provision of health services, micro credit and a unique child-focused EMIS program.

From 2005 onwards, Sudhaar began to diversify its range of intervening sectors. The scope of work began to expand in sectors like labor, women and human rights; gender issues and later civic and civil rights of citizens. Sudhaar began to offer relief and post emergency relief support in various districts of Punjab. The organization undertook a unique 4-year program on providing primary education in madrassahs in Kasur.

Currently, Sudhaar is working in six districts on Punjab. The interventions include child protection, education, post emergency rehabilitation, civil and voter rights, elections monitoring and bridging the gaps between legislators and their electorates for equitable social and economic development.

Since 1994, Sudhaar has worked with more than 1200 government schools, over 3500 teachers and head teachers and more than 141000 government school children. During this time Sudhaar established more than 780 non-formal education and literacy centers enrolling over 23800 working children out of which 64% graduated and 38% were mainstreamed to formal government and private schools.